Although Manchester City are already pretty much nailed on to win the English title, regardless of the result against United in the Manchester derby on Saturday, the game gives them the chance to lift the trophy with over a month of games left to play.
The chance to celebrate their title win in front of rival United fans is a mouth-watering prospect for City supporters, and they could therefore be forgiven by being a bit miffed at the absence of arguably their best player, Kevin De Bruyne, from their starting XI to face United.
Both De Bruyne and Gabriel Jesus were relegated to the bench for the clash, with Bernardo Silva and Raheem Sterling replacing them in the team.
However, although some may be disappointed at the ginger wizard's absence, it is clear what Pep's logic is. After being hammered 3-0 by Liverpool in the Champions League, the champions-to-be have a huge task ahead of them in the second leg at the Ethiad, and will need their best players to be at 100%.
Furthermore, City's line-up is far from weak, thanks to their impressive squad depth.